Eagles Not Spooked Despite Jalen Carter's Uncertainty

The Philadelphia Eagles used a targeted trade-up to get a former Georgia star for the second straight year.

PHILADELPHIA - Talent is the biggest reason Jalen Carter is in Philadelphia but don’t discount the infrastructure that the organization has built when explaining why the Eagles felt comfortable enough to target the former Georgia star at No. 9 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft when others wouldn’t.

In the end, Howie Roseman moved up just one spot by giving up a 2024 fourth-round pick to ensure that Carter would be joining former Bulldogs teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean on the Eagles’ defense.

The context to that is Philadelphia was discussing potential move-up scenarios with Seattle at No. 5 and Atlanta at No. 8 so the sense of urgency was far greater. The Seahawks ultimately stayed put to select Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and the Falcons also eschewed any advances to select Texas running back Bijan Robinson.

At least two teams – Las Vegas at No. 7 and the Falcons – did not consider Carter, according to an NFL source who said a high-ranking member of the Georgia football program was honest about concerns with Carter.

No one seems to saying Carter is any kind of master criminal just a little immature like a lot of 22-year-olds.

The problem is his particular brand of immaturity contributed to a tragic situation resulting in a car crash and the deaths of Georgia staff member Chandler Louise LeCroy and football player Devin Alex Willock. The accident was the result of street racing involving Carter and LeCroy.

Carter had already previously been cited for traffic violations three times during the fall semester, twice by campus authorities and once by Athens police.

Ultimately Carter pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing last month in connection with the fatal crash. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine, and 80 hours of community service.

When asked what he learned from the incident, Carter deflected.

“My general expectations were whoever drafts me is going to get the best player in the draft,” Carter said. “I just had high hopes for Philly because I had a good visit with them, and I felt like it was a good team to go to and play for.”

Carter was also asked about showing up out of shape for his pro day and being unable to finish the drills.

"I felt conditioned but I guess I wasn’t. That was just me, I should have conditioned a little bit more, a lot more, before the pro day,” Carter said.

All of that spooked certain clubs but not the Eagles, who feel they have one of the strongest locker rooms in the sport led by veterans like Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson, not to mention the comfort level unique to this particular player that can be offered with the presence of Davis and Dean.

Cox, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, is expected to be particularly impactful when it comes to Carter because he will be the leader in the position room, as is defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, a one-time former college star himself in the SEC at Auburn.

The talent vs. tolerance equation is a familiar one around the NFL and there’s a certain haughtiness to the Eagles at times, one that could pay enormous dividends moving forward or crash and burn.

The Eagles' ecosystem is pretty consistent, though.

Owner Jerry Lurie believes in second chances, Roseman trusts his senior advisor and chief security officer Dom DiSandro when it comes to background checks, and head coach Nick Sirianni has proven masterful when it comes to his first core value in his coaching DNA – connecting with his players.

Roseman was looking for an impact player and former Eagles great Seth Joyner invoked the name of legendary defensive  Jerome Brown when talking to SI.com’s Eagles Today about the upside of Carter.

If that’s the case, let’s just say that juice would be worth the squeeze for Philadelphia.

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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen